July Themes

Disability Pride Month and Flag

Disability Pride began as a day of celebration when the ADA was signed into law on July 26, 1990. The first official Disability Pride Month was in July 2015 for the 25th anniversary of the ADA. Disability Pride Month is celebrated annually each year in July.

Flag for Disability Pride

Flags symbolize solidarity, pride, and acceptance. In 2019, writer Ann Magill, who has cerebral palsy, created the original Disability Pride flag. Magill was motivated to create the flag after a less than pride-filled experience at an ADA anniversary event.

The original flag featured brightly colored zigzagging stripes over a black background. The zig-zag symbolized the barriers people with disabilities face. However, this design caused symptoms in individuals with visually triggered disabilities when viewed on devices.

Following community suggestions, Magill refined the flag: she straightened the stripes, muted the colors, and reordered them to accommodate red-green colorblindness. She showed how our community works together when we face conflicting access needs!

The new flag design is a collaborative effort, representing the community’s unity when addressing challenges. Magill waived her copyright, placing the flag in the public domain for everyone to use and remix.

The diagonal band of six color stripes cut across the barriers separating the disabled from society, representing light and creativity cutting through darkness. Each of the six color stripes hold meaning:

• Red: physical disabilities.
• Gold: neurodiversity.
• White: invisible disabilities and undiagnosed conditions.
• Blue: emotional and psychiatric disabilities.
• Green: sensory disabilities, including deafness, blindness, and other sensory disabilities.
• Faded Black Background: mourning and rage for victims of ableist violence and abuse.